Cermele- I totally agree with you. Being from the Northeast as well, I dont target them, I just hook one every once in a while by accident. There is no appeal to cat-fishing to me. I look at them as a trash fish.

Now that I have basically bashed catfish fishing, I will say that I do respect anyone that does fish for them, and I appreciate the tradition involved. People have been fishing for them for ages and I am sure it is fun to those hooked on it.

I live in Texas and catfishing is very big here, there are several reasons why it is so big.

First catfish are easily accessible and people of all ages have an opportunity to catch a good eating fish for the table or a trophy they can cherish for many years to come.

Second the cost of catfishing compared to bass fishing is less, you can get an average rod and reel combo and use some worms, grasshoppers, stinkbait, liver, etc to go after catfish and the cost is a lot less than buying spinnerbaits, rattletraps, crankbaits,etc.

Catfish are hard fighting fish that can grow very large. They put up a great fight and they can be caught on light tackle, or heavy tackle. But the key thing is they can be caught.

A lot of kids or people new to the sport of fishing get discouraged easily when they don't catch anything, catfish are easy to catch, and in abundant numbers, so your odds are pretty good when it comes to catching them.

I have high dollar equipment for the big boy cats, but I aalso have the cost effective equipment I use when I just want to catch a few eaters for the table.

Just my answer to your question.

dwaynez,
You said it all.
JC, All your descriptions and methods are also true. It's about being outside, on the water, and its fishing. Now, you mentioned ugly. That's the pot calling the kettle black, catfish don't hold a candle to some of those monsters from the abyss.

The fights, and catching Gills or shad for bait is half the fun, and for the older guys, a beer and a chair.

Whoa Alex, a beer and a chair? Try doing a Palomar knot or the latest San Diego knot craze in a rocking boat.
Older guys? I resemble that remark!

i live in Colorado and the catfish fishing isn't great here either but I still love it. The best thing about catfish is the noises they make when you've brought them in. They tell you how upset they are that you disturbed their all night buffet. Cats are also great because anybody can fish for them. Even my wife likes fishing for them, she doesn't have to wade the river rapids to catch them, and you never know what size fish you are going to bring in. I have caught a ten pounder 3 feet from where my buddy caught a 2 pounder five minutes earlier. Lastly catfish bait is anyfish bait. I have caught trout, walleye, bass, wipers, and crabs on catfish bait. I will agree it is the lazy mans fish, but I am willing to live with that.

I do a lot of cat fishing. I do enjoy it however I am limited to my fishing adventures. I manly fish for Cats, blue Gill and more recently bass. On Occasions I will pull in a Bow fin.

I do just what driggs5454 stated. I can cast a cat line and also fish for bass or brim at the same time.

So far My favorite fresh water meal is indeed a cat. I do however have a bass awaiting the grill in my freezer. He will be my first to eat. I have been releasing the rest.

I have not found cats to fight much, when pulling them in they do get a little aggressive only at or near the surface. The fight I find most people encounter at the pond or lake is bad bait bait and tackle choices that usually result in a lot of hits but no cat. Another trend i see is lost lines.

I have pulled in my share of someone else lost treasure. I think a lot of people use the same pole for all fish.

Bass put up a bigger and funer challenge to me.
Next time I go camping I thing I will Bass fish all day. At night when I Lay down I might set up a pole and periodically check it or just wait until morning.

dwaynez is right on everything he said. When I first started fishing I would fish for catfish because I knew I had a good chance at catching them, plus I wasnt made of money so I definatley could afford it. Catfish are also everywhere, so you can catch them anywhere. Catfish are delicious fried, and when catching them they put a pretty good fight up, even when there small, and you can definatley tell when you have a big one. Now what TheEasternShore said about lazy fishing can be true depending on who you are, otherwise I also like fishin for cats because I can RELAX in the evening after work or school. Also I like fishin at nite on a river for them because I see a lot of things I dont see often, like Big Bucks or Bats.

My brother and I grew up fishing for cats and now that we have gotten older we love it. We get a chance to go out and just visit about how much fun we had growing up and how life really seems to go much faster now. For those few hours that we get to do that it really seems that life slows down and we are kids again, of course there is still that competition that brothers will always have.

catfish are awesome, if you have ever pulled in a 20 pound cat on an ultralight reel, you know what i'm talkin about when i say it is the most fun that can be had on the water.

good luck and happy fishin'

Kentucky boy